


A Touch of Obsession

by Dearing



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Human Alice Williams (Detroit: Become Human)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-07-25 14:19:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16199273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dearing/pseuds/Dearing
Summary: Obsession, the lieutenant had called it. Completing the mission, he had insisted.





	1. On The Run

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is an idea I had for an alternative path for Detroit: Become Human. The general idea was to put a greater focus on Connor and Kara, as I was a little bummed out that the scenes in On the Run weren't further expanded on. Unfortunately, I got a massive case of writer's block towards the end, but I'd written this to a point where you could still call it an ending, so I decided to post what I had and see what people think of it. If I suddenly get hit by inspiration, maybe I'll come back to this, but I will post a summery of the bits I knew about the 'true ending' at the end, just in case people are interested.
> 
> Some things to remember going in, so don't say you weren't warned:
> 
> This was written as an alternate path through the game, so if you haven't finished Detroit yet, you're going to get spoilers.  
> This was originally written as a writing exercise, more just to keep me writing during a lull more than anything else. As such, it's a bit different to my other works, particularly in its' tense, perspective and writing style.  
> SPOILER: Alice is Human here, and the story is changed slightly to account for that. I have no idea why the developers decided to make her an android, because aside form one, maybe two paths, it really has little to no bearing on the game's story. It doesn't really have any bearing on this one either, but it was something that annoyed me from the game and I decided to change it here.
> 
> Alright, that's all from me. Updates will be on Fridays until it's finished. Total word count is around 18,500, so be prepared for some fairly short chapters. I hope you enjoy.

_NOV 6TH, 2038  
AM 10:25_

It starts with an impossible chance. Odds: astronomical. A series of events near impossible to replicate, even in simulation.

        A quiet moment in the heart of Detroit. The sound of rusted metal against metal; scissors scraping against an ancient oil drum, he would find out later. It caught his notice, a dim sound from across the street as Lieutenant Anderson and Detective Collins draw breath in the middle of their briefing.

        “What are you going to do with that?”

        “I have no idea.”

        He’s been left alone, the lieutenant not thinking much of his new ‘partner’. Or androids in general. It gives him time to idly look back; across the street and through the rain. Just an exercise to pass the time, so his systems tell him. Find the source of the sound, just because he can. He hears the lieutenant step up behind him as he looks at nothing at particular, eyes travelling across rusted chain link fence and through a tattered tarp…to meet with eyes of blue.

        Eyes of blue that widen. Brown eyes frown.

        “So? Anything to s…Hey! Connor!”

        The eyes of blue disappear, but his feet are already walking him across the street. Around the lieutenant’s car, through the rain, even as its’ owner curses under his breath and his fellows look on, bemused.

        “It took the first bus that came along, and stayed to the end of the line.” He calls over his shoulder, eyes not leaving the hole in the tarp and fence where he’d seen eyes of blue. “Its’ decision wasn’t planned, it was driven by fear. It didn’t have a plan, and it had nowhere to go,” his hand grips rusted metal, tearing open the gate, “and maybe it didn’t go far.”

        Blue meets brown, fear etched into a pale face, brown hair long and loose, slick from the rain that drenches her and the rotten jacket she wears open over newer clothes, glowing faintly blue under the cloudy sky.

_SYNC IN PROGRESS_

_SYNC DONE_

_COLLECTING DATA_

_PROCESSING DATA_

_MODEL AX400 – HOUSEKEEPER_

_Manufacture Date: 03/07/37_

_Property of: Todd Williams_

        The case file follows; aggression: android attacked owner, kidnapping: android fled the scene with owner’s child, Alice Williams.

        _DEVIANT FOUND_

        She stares up at him, crouched across the courtyard, holding the fence open, recently cut. She drops it before he can move, a startled cry coming from the other side as she leaps for the top bar and starts to climb.

        Paths are calculated, none of them optimum. A single ruined house sits between her and the road. He leaves her to her climb, walking briskly along the sidewalk.

        The gate bursts open as he reaches the corner, the AX400 running full pelt across the street, pulling a small girl on behind her. A cab pulls in front of him before he can chase, a roll to one side losing him time but keeping him intact.

        “Stop! Police!” She doesn’t break stride. Alice looks back at him as he gives chase, young eyes wide and afraid. “Apprehend her! She’s the deviant!”

        His shouts go ignored, either because they don’t know him or can’t see what he’s talking about. She ducks past a pawn shop, into an alley. Alice is pushed over the top of a fence as he rounds the corner, the deviant not far behind as he runs the last thirty-two metres as fast as his systems allow.

        She drops down on the other side; a muddy slope leading down steeply to the highway below.

        The ground is slick. He sees her slip as she lands, a hand grabbing the fence on instinct as he crashes into the other wide.

        Wire rattles. Hands collide and fingers intertwine. Skin bleeds away from both his hand and hers, eyes of blue and brown widen as one as memories involuntarily merge.

        Her name is Kara. Alice named her. Todd is abusive. He went too far. They had to go.

        His name is Connor. He’s the Android sent by CyberLife. His mission is to hunt down deviants. He’s sorry he has to take her in.

        She can’t go. She can’t leave Alice.

        He can’t let her go.

        She has to go. She has to find-

        “Kara!”

        “Connor!”

        The distraction is enough. The bond breaks as the child pulls her back, the angle of the slope and the sodden mud enough to give more weight to the movement. Their memories snap apart as he watches them slip down the embankment, wire mesh bending in his grip as Anderson staggers up behind him, breathing heavily.

        “Oh fuck, that’s insane!”

        They’ve moved to the roadside, Kara hopping over the concrete divider and helping Alice follow suit, warnings of AUTOMATED CAR TRACK and VERY HIGH SPEEDS ignored.

        NO PEDESTRIAN CROSSING! ! DANGER DANGER !

         He swears his systems freeze as they try to cross.

        Together by the hand, they make it across the first lane. Alice runs ahead, confident, only to be pulled back with a scream, a taxi missing her by inches. Second lane almost clear, the girl freezes in headlights’ lamps, only to be dragged forward by the deviant. Another cab almost cuts them down, before she pushes the child ahead to the safety of the middle divide, the deviant clipped but still managing to follow soon after.

        They’re desperate. They’re going to die. He climbs the fence. A hand pulls him back.

        “Hey! Where you goin’?”

        “I can’t let them get away.” His mission. Always his mission.

        “They won’t!” Anderson gives him a grim look. “They’ll never make it to the other side.”

        But they’re running, and he can see that they’re going to try. Maybe Anderson saw Alice, maybe he didn’t. Maybe he didn’t think it worth the risk.

        “I can’t take that chance.” He pulls himself up again. Anderson pulls him back.

        “Hey! You’ll get yourself killed! Do _not_ go after ‘em, Con- CONNOR! Goddammit!”

        He’s out of Anderson’s grip, over the top of the fence, a kick off the wire giving him precious moments over his targets as he slides the rest of the way down the slope and leaps over the barricade.

        A narrow miss on the first lane. A rain-slicked car roof squeaks under him as he slides across it on the second. A dumpster truck nearly takes his head as slides under its’ wheels at the third, and then he’s across as Kara and Alice make their second break for safety.

        Systems freeze as he sees a car clip the deviant; Alice sent sprawling into the second lane. She screams, a car bearing down, pulled back to the slim safety between the lanes by Kara before she’s pushed the rest of the way to the other side of the road.

        It gives him time. He catches her before she can try to follow. Hands grip, bodies struggle. Vehicles speed by, unable to stop for the two androids struggling in the middle of the road.

        Hands clamp together, skin bleeds away and memories bleed together.

        She’s terrified. He can’t let her go. She has to keep Alice safe. He _can’t_ let her go. She _has_ to go. She has to escape. She has to find Zlatko. She has to be free, for Alice’s sake.

        A mansion. An address. It catches him off guard, long enough for her to push him away. The haze of her terror leaves him, in time for him to be knocked back by a passing truck, another taxi pushing him back to the centre before it can tear his body in two.

        He scans the embankment beyond. They’re gone. Both of them.

        “Shit…”

        Lieutenant Anderson isn’t pleased. There’s yelling and swearing and worry in his face. It all stops when they get to back to the car and he delivers his report.

        “I feel it was worth the risk, Lieutenant. I have a lead.”

        He tells Anderson about the address, and the mansion there, and the name that came with it:   
        Zlatko Andronikov.


	2. After The Storm

_NOV 6TH, 2038  
AM 11:15_

Lieutenant Anderson is vindictive when he's mad. He hopes it might be because the old man's worried about him, but more likely it's due to an android not following orders.

(Technically he left  _before_  it became an order. Not really the point.)

Regardless, the lieutenant is being deliberately slow. He doesn't blow off the lead, but is in no hurry to chase it up.

"That old place is on the other side of town," Anderson says before he drowns the car in the music of Knights of the Black Death. "They won't get there before dark. We've got time for lunch."

It's not good enough. Not for him. Not for Amanda. There is a chill in the zen garden and a look of disapproval as he delivers his report. He let a deviant into his memories. He has to do better. He  _will_  do better, he promises. It is enough, for now.

He has to find her. The AX400. Kara. Alice named her. It's one of many memories now his own. Recently reactivated, barely a day of service before deviancy. Something happened. Something changed. Alice. The music box. Todd.

He cuts the music off. "We need to question the owner."

"Hey! What are you-"

"The deviancy began when the AX400's owner attacked his daughter." Wrinkled eyes widen and glance at him. "Todd Williams said in his report to the police that his android attacked him and kidnapped his daughter, but he made it sound like it was a random act. He omitted the fact he was abusing her. Do you not think this is worth investigating, lieutenant?"

Anderson glowers at him, mouth a thin line. His android can't help but add.

"If we have the time."

Eyes roll, mutterings mutinous under breath, but the lieutenant asks for the address. It hurts the old man that a child was put in danger on the highway on his watch, that he was helpless to do anything. Now Anderson has a target to vent at; possibly the father that inadvertently put his daughter on that highway in the first place.

* * *

_PM 12:05_

The Williams residence is a shoddy building of rotting wood and peeling paint. It matches the aesthetic of the neighbourhood, at least.

Todd Williams isn't much better than his house. Overweight, clothes stained, eyes surly and suspicious when he finally opens the door to Anderson's knocking.

He hurt Alice. He hurt Kara.

_SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\_

Anger? Residual, it had to be.

"Yeah? What do you want?"

"Lieutenant Hank Anderson, Detroit Police Department." There's anger there too, barely contained. "I'm following up on the report you filed this morning, about the android that took your daughter last night?"

"Did you find her?"

"Briefly. She got away."

"We need more information."

Eyes, rimmed red, see him for the first time. "The fuck is that thing?"

"A pest that keeps following me around," wrinkled eyes flicker back begrudgingly, "but a necessary one. We need to come in-"

"You keep that thing away from me!" Williams makes to shut the door. Anderson's foot stops it cold. "I don't have anything to say to it! So leave me-"

Mood swings. Violent, quick to anger.

_SYNC IN PROGRESS_

_SYNC DONE_

_COLLECTING DATA_

_PROCESSING DATA_

Red not just around the eyes. Red dust under the nose, hastily wiped away. Acetone, lithium, thirium, toluene, hydrochloric acid. Red Ice.

"Mr. Williams, are you aware that Red Ice is an illegal substance, both to own and inhale?"

Anderson reacts first, forcing his way and forcing Williams to the ground. The large man cries and tries to scrabble away, but the cop is faster, flipping the suspect onto his back, cuffs in hand.

"It took my daughter!" Williams screams and struggles. "Why're you attacking me!? It's all her fault! WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING ME!?"

Rights are read as he enters, brown eyes frown as the insides of the house somehow look worse than its' exterior. Furniture is upturned, a dinner discarded and staining carpets and walls. A Roomba has been thrown through the TV; a more recent event, judging by the smoke and sparks.

She'd been here. Todd had been angry. Alice had fled. She'd tried to calm him down and had been thrown to the floor for her trouble. Todd had been going to hurt Alice. He'd ordered his AX400 to stay put. Kara had refused.

This was the spark. The inciting incident. The deviancy.

He follows the memories upstairs, over Williams' protests and Anderson telling him to shut the fuck up.

She'd heard the screams. Daddy, no. Steps quickened, up the stairs. A passing thought; Todd's gun, in the bedroom nightstand? Another scream pushed her past the door to the end of the hallway. Todd stands over Alice, belt in hand. It's all your fault. She's dead because of you. Please stop, Daddy. It's for your own good, Alice…

She entered. So did he. The room belongs to a child; belongings broken, a window smashed. Kara told Todd to stop, didn't take no for an answer. He watches Todd attack; a flurry of wild fists and angry roars. She runs and rolls. Come here, bitch. A kick. Todd tries to crush her head under his boot. Hands clench around her neck, hard enough for skin to bleed away. Todd is hurting her…Hurting Kara. His hand clenches as systems flicker.

_SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\_

He forces the memories away. It's too painful to relive. He knows how the story ends. They escape, and on the run, they run from  _him_.

"Connor?" A hand on his shoulder. He jerks away, brown eyes wide. Anderson blinks at him, backing off. "Hey, easy! You alright? Find anything?"

Evidence. The music box. Without words he looks for it and finds it knocked open, the lock broken by a falling lamp, pictures spilled across the floor. He picks up the drawings first; Alice sad, her temple bleeding. Alice and Todd, and Todd was angry. Kara, Todd and Alice, Todd's hand raised in anger towards his android. Alice and Kara, Kara broken and Alice in tears.

"Well…shit…" Anderson summarises with a bitter sigh as he takes the drawings.

The family photo is under the box.

_SYNC IN PROGRESS_

_SYNC DONE_

_COLLECTING DATA_

_PROCESSING DATA_

Three members smile up at him.

_WILLIAMS, TODD  
Born: September 21st, 1995_

_WILLIAMS, ALICE  
Born: July 25th, 2029_

_DECEASED_  
WILLIAMS, MELISSA  
Born: October 27th, 2002  
Died: August 29th, 2036

Died. Car accident. Malfunctioning taxi cab. No excuse. She was in the middle of divorce proceedings. She was going to take Alice away. No excuse  _and_  suspicious.

A four-leaf clover is all that's left. He picks it up as he slowly stands.

Todd was hurting Alice. Todd was hurting Kara. Todd had hurt her before, had  _broken_  her before. Todd had wanted to break her again…

You've got a problem. We need to fix that.

"I need to find her." There's conviction that surprises both him and the lieutenant. He glares at Anderson. "He hurt her, Hank. I need to find her. I need to tell her he can't hurt her again."

"Yeah, sure. Okay." Wrinkled eyes frown, thoughtful. "We'll book Williams, get the CSIs over here and-"

"That will take too long."

"I told you, they're not going to get there before dark-"

"I'll meet you there." He's already pushing past, out the room, down the corridor. "Book Todd Williams and meet me there-"

"Connor!" A hand clamps down, wrenching him back. He glares at the lieutenant, who glares straight back. "Nothing good's gonna come out of you charging in half-assed." Wrinkled eyes soften. "We'll get there, alright?"

He wants to go. He wants to find her.

"I need to find her, Hank."

"Yeah, I got that part."

He's left at the top of the stairs, Anderson fishing phone from coat as he walks out the front door, past Todd Williams, sobbing uncontrollably on the floor.


	3. Zlatko

THREE  
ZLATKO

NOV 6TH, 2038  
PM 07:56

It's dark by the time they make it to the Andronikov estate. Estate is an optimum word; it wouldn't look out of place in a horror film…or Todd Williams' neighbourhood. Rain doesn't help the aesthetic; the storm of the day now refusing to let up into the night.

They took too long. CSI was late, Detective Collins even later to take Todd Williams away. Hank had to send his android around the back, quickly tiring of his pacing and coin flipping.

But now they're here; in front of the decaying mansion and an iron gate near rusted shut. Hank eyes the place warily. His android had run the name through the criminal database for the lieutenant. Nothing good had come up about the owner.

Zlatko Andronikov  
Born: September 21st, 1991  
Criminal Record: Embezzlement and fraud, jail time served. Possible ties to the black market, specialising in android parts, no hard evidence obtained.

They had a plan. Hank wasn't happy. It didn't matter. No chances could be taken. He had to find them. He had to find her.

Obsession, the lieutenant had called it. Completing the mission, he had insisted. Even if they weren't here (she had to be here), that random androids were sending deviants to this place all but guaranteed a find.

They split up after they'd cleared the gate. Hank took the front door and lets his partner follow the wall round to the side entrance he saw on the building's blueprints. He waits at the corner, watches the lieutenant press the doorbell for an obnoxiously long time before hinges creak and old oak doors groan open.

An android answers; a massive TR400 looming over Hank in the lamplight.

"Can I help you?"

"Err…yeah! Y-yeah," Hank smiles nervously, trying so hard not to step back in the android's calm presence. "Lieutenant Hank Anderson, Detroit Police Department. I need to speak to the owner of the house. He in?"

Time is wasting. He rounds the corner, pushing through overgrown gardens to reach the side door, hidden shadows. A cheerful warmth washes over him from the fireplace, casting obscure shadows as he silently crosses the living room and into the main foyer.

"Zlatko is not entertaining guests."

"What part of 'Detroit Police Department' sounds like I wanna be entertained?"

Up the grand staircase (what's left of it) or down below to the darkness of the basement? No sign of Kara or Alice, and the plan starts to fall flat. Until he hears a thud from upstairs.

Hank hears it too. "What was that?"

"Nothing." The android answers too quickly. It blocks the way with its bulk as a loose doorknob rattles frantically and faintly along the landing above. "Please leave."

Someone was here. Someone was hidden away and wanted to be found. It would be easy to vault the bannister and be up onto the second floor before the TR400 knew he was there.

And yet…

SYNC IN PROGRESS

SYNC DONE

COLLECTING DATA

PROCESSING DATA

Dust was everywhere, an android built for commercial applications and heavy lifting not really designed for basic housekeeping. Footprints largely keep to paths of habit; up the stairs, towards the living room or front door, down to the basement. Two sets were consistent; long-term residents, foot sizes relating to a TR400 and a man in keeping with Zlatko Andronikov's stature. Other footprints were faded with time. Most only went one way; from the door or the lounge to the basement. Two sets were fresher; as recent as a few minutes old, maybe less.

One set matched the foot size of an AX400 model Android. The other was too small to be anything but a child.

And the child had come back out of the basement, half dragged, the steps uneven and scrabbling.

ALICE IS UPSTAIRS

KARA IS IN THE BASEMENT

It surprises him that his first thought was to save Alice. Residual instinct from his merging of memories with Kara most likely. She would want him to save that little girl. The catalyst of her deviancy. And yet he remembers; the rainy streets of Detroit, not more than a few hours ago. She'd looked back, half dragged by Kara. She'd seen him running towards her, after her, chasing them. He'd seen her young eyes, wide and afraid.

She wouldn't follow him. She wouldn't trust him. He needs Kara.

He feels…relieved? No, he wants Alice to live. She's Human. She should take priority over the life of any android.

But he wants to find Kara too, and now he has his excuse.

Obsession, the lieutenant called it. Completing the mission, his systems' insist.

He catches Anderson's gaze as he crosses the foyer, the TR400 not having the time to see the old man's grin before it stumbles under his shove.

"What're you hiding, eh!? Let me in, police business!"

It's enough of a distraction that he can afford to move quicker, making little noise as he rapidly descends the steps to the basement.

Walls lose whatever grandeur they might have implied, bare concrete cracked and brickwork exposed. Rows of stables line a twisting corridor, strange noises and staggering shapes in the dark.

The cry of a police officer being thrown out sounds upstairs, followed by the slam of the heavy front door. Out of time. He has to find Kara.

A hand on his sleeves stops him cold.

"Help us…"

He jerks back, plastic fingers devoid of skin groping empty air through wooden bars. Systems glitch. It couldn't be fear. But Kara might be in there.

He draws the bolt back, pushing the door open as he steps into the dark.

They draw near, but not too close, the light from his clothes illuminating disfigurements and damage no accident could cause. Skin stripped, chassis slashed, limbs removed and innards laid bare.

"No…This can't be happening…"

One reaches out, but flinches away when its' eyes meet his. Another is bolder, meeting his gaze with eyes glowing yellow.

"He likes to play with us. Creating monsters for his amusement," head tilts, jerky, broken, "but who's the real monster? Look what he did to us…"

He does, he logs the entire room in an instant.

SYNC IN PROGRESS

SYNC DONE

COLLECTING DATA

PROCESSING DATA

EVIDENCE GATHERED AGAINST ZLATKO ANDRONIKOV

Kara isn't here.

"Is this all of you?" He sounds desperate, even to his own audio receptors. "I'm looking for another, she might have been brought down here with a little girl-"

A hand touches his shoulder; a female android, naked, skin gouged and clawed, her face ripped open and innards exposed. She silently points toward the doorway at the end of the stables. The others follow her, pointing towards the doorway.

"Save her. Save the little one."

He doesn't waste time, leaving the 'monsters' behind, leaving the bolt unlocked.

Through the doorway, past the well, Systems glitch as he finds her, strung up like a puppet twisted in its strings.

It's a maintenance terminal; old, heavy duty, from a time when android maintenance was still a new form of engineering. Designed to hold and manipulate for ease of access, back when Human engineers were commonplace and needed all the help they could get.

She's strung up by her wrists, feet dangling in the air, save for the occasional twitch. Her Human clothes have been stripped, the standard dress of an AX400 laid bare beneath. Her head lolls forward, long hair knocked loose from its bun, eyelids fluttering and eyes unfocused, LED blinking red.

"Kara…"

She looks up at him. No, she looks right through him, cable attached to the back of her neck creaking with movement.

"A…Alice…"

He sees the console, haphazard and scattered across a desk, a nearby screen set in yellow, counting upward.

RESET: 87%

Systems stutter. Kara's being returned to factory default. He can't…He needs…

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\

He crosses the room, fingers a blur against the keyboard as he tries to reverse or even stop the process.

Nothing works, too far along.

He lashes out. That's the only way he can explain it, impossible as it should be. A mobile screen is in his hands before he realises he's picked it up, throwing it with all his might into the console, power flickering out and dying with an almighty crash and sprays of sparks into the dim room.

The clamps hold, the machine won't give up its' prey. He attacks it; teeth bared, hands tearing hard enough for skin to bleed back.

Metal snaps, the claws break, the cable pops free of her neck. Kara falls.

He's there to catch her, bracing her against the fall as they hit the ground in a tangle of limbs. He's up on his knees, cradling her head in the crook of his arm, hair spilling across his shoulder.

Kara stares blankly up, now just another AX400. Factory reset. Too late.

No. Not now. Not when he's found her.

He takes her hand, fingers closing around her palm while hers remain involuntarily stiff. Skin bleeds back. Memories merge…

There isn't much, but it's there. Recent data, recent memories. The machine, the man, the android from CyberLife…Alice.

She knows Alice. She knows she is important. AX400 can't remember why.

He reminds her.

He returns her memories as fast as he can, making as many connections as he can; his hand bracing her side, the connecting arm across her shoulders. He pulls her up, resting his forehead against hers, eyes closed. He lets her see everything. To keep even the most painful moments would stop her from being Kara.

The reawakening. AX400, register your name. Kara. The master. Todd. Get started down here, then you start upstairs. The child. Alice. The key pressed into her hand. The music box. The dinner. The mood swing. Fuckin' whore tried to walk out on me with a fuckin' accountant. The break. The walls come down. Protect Alice. No, Daddy, no. Protect Alice. Protect Alice. Protect-

"Well, well. Isn't this sweet?"

CONNECTION SEVERED

Brown eyes open, to find eyes of blue, wide and afraid. They look up together. Zlatko Andronikov stands over them, grinning coldly, a shotgun held loosely in his hands. The TR400, Luther her latest memories tell him, blocks the doorway, face impassive.

"Found yourself a friend? Doesn't look like one of mine. Ah, ah!" The shotgun shifts when he moves, barrel aimed between brown eyes. "Easy now. Where'd you come from?"

"My name is Connor. I'm the android sent by CyberLife-"

"Technically, you were all sent by CyberLife-"

"-to liaison with the Detroit Police Department."

It shuts Zlatko up. Eyes widen, finger twitches nearer to the trigger. Kara tenses as he eases her out of his grip. Brown eyes never leave the bearded man as he stands put, puts himself between Kara and the gun.

"Your TR400 has already encountered my partner. Assaulting a police officer is a criminal offence, even if it was done by your android." Zlatko steps back, the weapon goes slack. "I've also logged evidence of theft and property damage."

"This is my house!"

"The androids are not." He takes a step forward. The shotgun rises to his chest. Luthur takes a step forward. He relents, at least in movement. "At present, your crimes amount to fines and minimal jail time. Return the girl, give yourself in, and that sentence can be reduced-"

"This is my house!" The shotgun barks, dust and grit leap at his feet. "You do what I say, when I say it! You're an android, you obey me!" realisation dawns in small eyes. "You've logged evidence...but it's just what you've seen, all in your head." The barrel is raised, level with his chest. "Get in the machine."

He disobeys, "Where is the girl?"

"There's no girl-"

"He's lying!"

"SHUT UP!" Kara flinches back, the shotgun waved in her direction. He moves to keep the aim on him. He isn't sure why. "Obey me! Get in the machine! OBEY ME! GET IN THE MACHINE!"

Zlatko's not thinking straight. The maintenance unit is a wreck; claws snapped open, the console a mess of sparking wires and smashed screens, weeks to repair at least. A bluff might not end well when small eyes let themselves see the ruined machine.

He stands his ground. "My partner will only tolerate my disappearance for so long." Especially after being thrown from the front porch. "Surrender your weapon, take me to Alice Williams and make this easy on yourse-"

The shotgun's stock catches him in the jaw. He stumbles over Kara, and she screams as she scrabbles back. Zlatko looms over him, rage breaking through a once calm façade.

"YOU! OBEY! ME!" A kick for each word, a shotgun blast missing his ear by inches. "I AM THE MASTER HERE! YOU DON'T GET TO ORDER ME AROUND! I'M THE MASTER!" A kick to the head, "I'M THE MASTER!" A kick to the side, "OBEY M-Agh!" Get off me!"

Kara comes out of nowhere, launching herself at Zlatko, the shotgun going off into the ceiling, raining dust. She has a lithe frame against her and an android's iron grip on barrel and stock on her side. Zlatko has his size and weight and his rage, swinging her around wildly as she keeps the shotgun away from his target.

"Let go! LET GO! LUTHER!"

Luther moves forward, hands outstretched.

The 'monsters' prevent him from going further than a single step.

They swarm from behind, latching onto arms and legs with disfigured limbs and broken teeth. Luther screams and flails, a TR400's enhanced strength made useless as he's attacked from all sides. The android is pulled aside as more 'monsters' spill in, Zlatko throwing Kara to the ground in time to see his creations rise up against him.

Now isn't the time to be standing around.

He's on his feet, grabbing Kara's hand and hauling her to hers as Luther stumbles over the well's edge and plummets through the brittle wooden planks with his attackers. Zlatko is screaming, his shotgun barking at anything that comes too close. The 'monsters' don't care. They will never be whole again.

He runs, Kara's hand in his. Out of the room, through the doorway and along the corridor, up the stairs and back into the foyer.

"Alice!" Kara pulls him back, eyes of blue wide as she looks wildly around. "Connor, where is she?"

The front door is ahead, unguarded, but he knows she won't leave without the little girl. He could tell her to run, that Alice will be found by Hank and she'll be alright.

He knows she won't buy it. Which is good; he doesn't want to leave without Alice either.

"Come on, she may be upstairs." He leads her up the grand staircase, and they split up along the landing.

He finds Zlatko's workshop; an Android dissected on his table, more parts strewn about like forgotten toys of an abusive child.

Blood is everywhere. All of it blue, none of it red, much to his relief.

Another door down, he finds a room of broken things. An URS12 stares at him mournfully from a cage in the corner, its' polar bear skin torn away from its' bear-like face, one exposed optic glowing blue in the dark. Systems glitch, something feels to catch in his throat. He unlocks the cage, moving back only slightly when the synthetic beast noses its large head out the open door. It watches him silently, then settles back on its paws, content to stay, for the moment.

He rejoins Kara as she exits the bathroom, looking troubled. He doesn't ask, there isn't the time.

He takes the doors on the right, she moves for the door at the end of the corridor. The bedroom is bare of anything useful, and beside it, another space of dust ridden furniture barely lived in, a roaring fire and barely used television the only things of interest.

"Alice…"

"Kara? Kara, you remember me!"

Through the open door, he sees the reunion. Alice's face lights up as she runs into Kara's arms, hugging her tight; like she's scared she might disappear.

"How could I forget you?" Words whispered into soft hair. "I'm so sorry," she pulls back, cradling the young one's head in her hands. "You were right, we never should have come here…"

"We need to go."

Alice sees him; a frightened squeak and terrified steps back her response. She remembers the chase, the terror on the Highway. Kara draws her close, comforting and warm.

"No! No, it's alright, Alice. Connor's helping us. He helped me escape. He's alright." She looks to him, for reassurance, he supposes.

She doesn't get it. What she sees behind him stops her cold.

"I should've dismantled you FROM THE START!"

He dodges the telegraphed attack, the axe's head splintering floorboards before Zlatko wrenches it out of the wood to slam it into his gut.

His attacker is ragged; freshly scarred, drenched in sweat, an eye gouged out and bleeding freely. The remaining small eye is wide and insane, even as his target ducks out of the way, Zlatko's axe embedding in the corridor wall. He tries to kick the weapon away from his attacker, but he was built for investigation, not hand to hand combat.

And Zlatko is bigger than him.

"Go! Run!"

"Stay right there! I'm going to rectify my mistake!"

Kara ignores Zlatko's advice, grabbing Alice by the hand and running through the nearest door.

Zlatko roars, swinging the axe wildly. His attacker is insane, difficult to control, but he pushes the fight back down the corridor. Away from Kara. Away from Alice.

Away from K-

The axe catches him in the side, blunt end first. It sends him crashing through a door, back into the room of broken things. Zlatko follows, axe swinging down. A roll back onto his feet keeps his head, broken things thrown doing little to slow the enraged man down. An end table knocked in Zlatko's path is smashed and kicked aside, the head of a limbless torso cracked like an egg, and still the madman advances.

Hands clench around the axe shaft, slick with Zlatko's blood and sweat, small eye focused on the android that shone the light on his shadowy life.

"You know, it's like I told the bitch," he grins a smile of broken teeth, "Dreams always end in tears. Should've listened to my own fucking advice."

It's insanity perhaps, that stops his attacker from seeing the smoke curl under the door. It certainly doesn't stop Zlatko from seeing the bear, another wild swing missing as his target drops, clanging against the bars.

The URS12 decides its' time to leave.

A new roar shakes dust from the rafters, Zlatko's screams following it as the synthetic beast advances, swings of the axe ignored or bouncing off hardened plastic. Now, the bear advances, protecting the one who kindly opened its' cage.

And besides, he doubts Zlatko has been the kindest of masters.

"Connor!"

Heat washes over him as the door nearby bursts open. And Kara is there, a panicked face framed by long, undone hair.

She sees the bear. She sees Zlatko, forced back screaming by massive paws.

She focuses on the android, staring up at her. The android that hours ago had chased her and the child she protected across lanes of oncoming traffic. The android that she came back for, even when he gave her the perfect escape.

She reaches out to that android now, eyes of blue desperate, pleading. He takes the deviant's hand, lets her pull him to his feet and out of the room.

Zlatko's cries are just as desperate as the URS12 pins him to the wall.

"Get away from me! Get away from me! I'm your Master! I'M YOUR MASTER!"

The bear doesn't agree, forcing its weight against a wall made brittle by flame. They fall together into the blazing inferno beyond, agonised screams and triumphant bellows lost in the roar of the fire now quickly spreading.

Kara's been busy.

The mansion is falling apart. Dust and neglect mean fire spreads fast. A large robotic bear throwing its' weight through a wall probably hasn't helped things.

Kara drags him a few steps before he finds his footing. They're running together by the time they hit the staircase, the flames escaping through open doors and consuming the walls of the second floor. He doesn't look up as he hears the crash of burning timber, of a floor caving in, spreading inferno to the lower rooms. He runs for the front door, but Kara's pull tilts him back to the side door, back to his entrance.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\

He lets her guide him. Away from the front door. Away from Hank and any potential reinforcements he might have called in. A mansion ablaze around them is hardly the place to argue on exits.

Besides, he hasn't seen Alice. He doubts Kara would leave her alone and exposed on the front step, even if the mansion wasn't on fire.

Away from the foyer, back through to the side door as supports creak and give way as the landing collapses behind them. Into the dark and the rain, refreshingly cool against synthetic skin.

"Kara!"

Her hand leaves his as a small child attacks Kara's legs, burying her face in her android's stomach. Understandable, after being left alone with a monster. Not the best place for a second reunion.

His hand on her shoulder, he steers Kara and Alice into the rain, away from the flames. He leaves them on the path to comfort and console. He jogs to the corner of the building, looking to the front gate.

Hank leans heavily on his car roof, eyes groggy as he takes in the burning building, a radio at his lips. Apparently Luther's throw had thrown him through a bigger loop than expected. Wrinkled eyes lazily survey the scene, then sharpen when they meet brown eyes peering at him from around the corner.

Damn.

Damn?

Damn. Apparently. He doesn't know why.

"I was so scared, Kara…"

"Shh, it's alright now. We'll get through this, I promise."

Systems twitch as he turns back to the scene; Kara on her knees, cradling Alice tight, small hands wrapped around her waist, clenching at soaked fabric. It's…heartwarming? Or it might have been if the tree behind them wasn't catching light from the upstairs window.

"You can't stay here," he states the obvious. He's not sure why. The path is obvious. Kara is deviant, she must be taken in. Alice needs to be given to Social Services, with no one to look after her, now that her father is in custody.

The thoughts don't sit well with him, even before the look of unease Kara gives him.

"Where can we go?" She asks quietly against the rain, Alice's head pressed to her shoulder. "We can't go back, not with…" eyes of blue close, her face nuzzling into Alice's hair. "We just want to be free." She looks to him, face…unreadable. "Please, can you…is there…"

Turn yourself in. It will be better for everyone. You will be deactivated and analysed, but Alice will be safe. Todd can't hurt her anymore, I promise, but being on the run won't end well for anyone.

It's what he should say. It's what Amanda would want him to say.

It's not what he wants to say. It frustrates him that he doesn't know why. Why did he hunt her down, if not to bring her in? Why did he lead the investigation back to Todd Williams, if not to find clues to why she went deviant? Why? Why!? Why can't he bring himself to bring this AX400 into police custody?

…

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\

A plan forms, seconds in the making. He offers Kara his hand, skin bleeding away to grey plastic as she hesitantly takes it and memories merge.

He gives her an address and a plan to follow, seconds in the making. Eyes of blue widen slightly, but she's already standing up, hands doing long hair back up into the style of her model the moment the connection breaks.

He touches the triangular ID tracker on her shoulder, two fingers enough to breach firewalls and data protection algorithms with his superior programs. He scrambles her serial code, modifies her manufacture date and gives her a new owner. She's now safe from passing looks and casual scans. She won't match the databases if she's stopped, scanned and compared, but it will cause enough confusion to raise eyebrows and contact owners.

"Go," he can hear Hank's footsteps, the odd swear as the lieutenant battles overgrown foliage. "If you stay, you'll be brought in, and I won't be able to stop them. Go! Now!"

Kara blinks, once, twice, then nods. He turns to face the flames as they flee, giving an illusion that his targets might still be inside as they disappear into the shadows and his partner rounds the corner.

"There you are!" Hank's panting heavily, hands on his knees. "Conner, what the fuck happened!? Where they here?"

"Gone," he answers after a moment's pause. "Zlatko Andronikov didn't take kindly to the intrusion. The AX400 set fires to cover their escape." He catches a look in Hank's eyes, the kind that tells him he's seeing his partner as more machine than man. It…upsets him? "Andronikov also didn't like the evidence of various illicit activities I'd recorded before my discovery. Had he lived, jail time would have been inevitable…perhaps even a large fine."

Hank looks…placated, rubbing the back of his head, no doubt remembering the throw of Zlatko's android that kept him out of the fight. No love lost, Human or not.

When Anderson looks back at him, he seems…uncomfortable. "What about you? You okay?"

He needs repairs; his torso is cracked and his jaw aches. Lips quirk in a slight smile. "Were you worried about me, lieutenant? I'm glad to see our relationship move in a positive direction so quickly."

Wrinkled eyes roll, Hank trudging back towards the car as sirens sound in the distance, distracted from any signs of escaping androids and the children that follow them.

"Fuckin' androids."

There's less venom in the muttered words than before, and the relief in his tone is not as well hidden as his partner might have liked.


	4. Russian Roulette

_NOV 6TH, 2038  
PM 08:45_

Amanda wants a report.

The garden is dark, rain falling softly around him as he walks the white bridges to where the woman waits.

She stares at him, impassive, unreadable.

"There you are, Connor. Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for quite some time."

He'd felt the garden beckon, but had resisted for this long. Hank had passed the case to other detectives as soon as he could. The deviants were gone, and there was nothing he could do about the scene until the fires were put out.

That was the excuse. That, and Anderson was fuckin' tired.

"There were developments in the case. I'm sorry I couldn't talk sooner."

Lips purse. Amanda knows of his initial reports. He's kept everything vague, from entering the mansion to fleeing its' burning remains. She knows Kara escaped. She doesn't need to know how or why.

"Would you mind a little walk?"

He stands beside her, opening the umbrella to shield against the rain. The pattering sound against the fabric is soothing as they stroll at her pace.

"That deviant seemed to be an interesting case." Obsession, the lieutenant calls it. Completing the mission…the response sounds hollow. "A pity you didn't manage to capture it."

She sounds disappointed. She looks to him, an answer demanded without a word.

"I have no excuse." As truthful as he can manage.

It placates her. For now. "Did you manage to learn anything?"

"I believe the child, Alice, was the key. Her father was abusing her. The deviancy appears to have been caused by a need to defend the child." She looks at him expectantly. "Her owner, Todd Williams, also had a history of attacking his android. Carlos Ortiz was also shown to intentionally harm and damage his property. It appears that highly stressful situations, where the android feels it is in danger, are at least one kind of catalyst for deviancy."

Amanda nods thoughtfully. "You came very close to catching that deviant." Closer than she knows, and yet not close at all. "How is your relationship with the lieutenant developing?"

The question gives him pause. He remembers the rain, and the fire, and the look of uncertain worry in wrinkled eyes.

"He was concerned for my wellbeing, after the fire." Fuckin' androids. "His prejudices are still creating obstacles however."

They reach a bridge. They are halfway across before Amanda suddenly stops.

"Deviancy continues to spread. It's only a matter of time before the media finds out about it. We need to stop this," her tone hardens, and calm eyes narrow, "whatever it takes."

"I will solve this investigation, Amanda." He is still committed. Kara is just an outlying event. "I won't disappoint you."

It feels too late. She already looks disappointed in him.

"A new case came in, while you busy." While you were distracted, her words seem to say. "Find Anderson and investigate it."

Then, she walks away. No encouragement, no dismissal. Amanda just walks away, leaving him alone in the rain.

* * *

The body has been repaired; cracked casing replaced, jaw no longer aching. When he leaves the garden, he's already in a cab, five minutes out from the residence of Lieutenant Hank Anderson.

It's unnerving, not being in control of his body. It's the first time he's had such a thought.

The rain continues to pour, dripping lines of wet down the taxi's windows in intricate patterns. He thinks of Kara and Alice. He hopes they're somewhere safe…and dry.

"You have reached your destination. Thank you for traveling with Detroit Taxis. We look forward to seeing you again soon."

The taxi drops him at the front door. Even with the faded paint and garden in desperate need of weeding, the single storey house is still the nicest property he's seen in the past few days.

And the lights are on. Hopefully that means someone's home. The doorbell buzzes angrily at his press, but the silence that follows…concerns him.

He presses the doorbell again; longer, harder. He stops when the lock rattles from the other side.

The door opens, just a crack. A wrinkled eye peers out uncertainly.

The eye widens when it sees him, then narrows to a slit.

Not good.

The door's flung open, banging on its' hinges as he's dragged in by the tie. Hank throws him up against the nearest wall, kicking the door shut, fury in wrinkled eyes.

"Are you out of your  _fuckin'_  mind!?"

He smiles pleasantly. "Good evening, lieuten-"

He gets slammed against the wall again for his trouble.

"Cut the crap, Connor!" Hank's voice is a hiss, despite the noise he's made. "Are you insane? Do you have  _any_  fuckin' clue what you've done? What you've dragged me into?"

"I didn't have a choice."

"The fuck you didn't! You made me an accomplice and didn't have the balls to come to me first."

"I couldn't take the chance."

"Chance? What chance!?"

"That you would say no. That you wouldn't want to take her in."

…

Grip slowly slacks on his lapels.

"Her?"

"The AX400? Kara and Alice?" Hank blinks at him uncertainly. "Are we not talking about the deviant android from the highway, lieutenant?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we are," Hank steps back slightly, uncomfortable. "You said 'her', not…" He sighs, looking away. "It's nothin'. Forget it about it."

Brown eyes frown, but he doesn't press. Systems catch. Did Hank…?

"Is she here?" he catches himself when Hank gives him a sharp look. "Are  _they_  here?"

Wrinkled eyes frown, but Hank nods ruefully, and steps to one side. It gives him a view of the open plan home, the living area barely lit by a handful of lamps and a TV playing the news…and the android staring at him from the couch, eyes of blue wide.

Kara watches him, quiet and a little afraid. Alice lies in her arms, briefly woken by Hank's noise, but quickly letting her dreams take her back. Her clothes aren't her own, looking boyish than the ones she'd fled her home in, a blanket pulled up to her chest. One hand is curled around Kara's, fingers twitching. The other lays atop the great head of a Saint Bernard, Sumo, his memories remind him. The massive dog rests against the couch, not even flinching when nightmares cause fingers to pull on fur.

_SYNC IN PROGRESS_

_SYNC DONE_

_COLLECTING DATA_

_PROCESSING DATA_

_MODEL AX400 – HOUSEKEEPER_

_Manufacture Date: 05/25/37_

_Property of: Hank Anderson_

No checks, no sightings. She was careful.

He gives Hank a sideways look. Wrinkled eyes turn away, annoyed.

"I couldn't exactly turn her away. Not with the kid, not after…" He gets a sharp look. "CyberLife owes me a window."

He nods, deciding not to ask. Brown eyes turn back to eyes of blue. He wants to talk to her; ask her if she's alright, ask her if she has a plan…but none of a thousand questions seem to reach his voice algorithms.

He turns to Hank instead. "A homicide was reported ninety-three minutes ago. They needed us at the Eden Club in half that time."

Wrinkled eyes frown, before Hank sees the request behind the statement. "Yeah, I'll…I'll just get ready. Give me five minutes, alright?"

The lieutenant doesn't wait for his nod, sparing only an awkward smile for Kara as he passes by for the bedroom. She smiles back, watching him go. She turns that smile on the android that brought her here as he hesitantly approaches.

"Are you alright?" Voice algorithms functioning normally.

"As I can be," she keeps her voice quiet for the slumbering Alice. "I'm…I'm sorry about the window. Hank was unconscious when we got here and I thought…"

She trails off as he looks to the kitchen.

_SYNC IN PROGRESS_

_SYNC DONE_

_COLLECTING DATA_

_PROCESSING DATA_

He can see the broken window, shattered glass spread across the floor near the radiator. He can see the bottle, Black Lamb scotch whiskey (40% Alcohol content) and the revolver, .357 Magnum, a single bullet in the cylinder.

This…may not have been the best place for fugitives running from a man with substance abuse issues.

"I'm sorry. I hoped the lieutenant would keep the drinking to his bars."

"Don't be. He's been kind since I sobered him up…and got over the initial shock." She dips her head, hiding a smile. It makes him want to smile too. Carefully, she eases herself out from under Alice's head. The girl whimpers, but calms as Sumo nuzzles himself up the couch, letting young hands bury themselves in thick fur, pulling his heavy head close. "He said we could be safe here, at least for the moment. It's…better than the last time."

He follows her to the kitchen, standing awkwardly in the bright light as Kara busies herself with tidying up the table. He tries to help, collecting plates bound for the sink, taking the magnum, unloading it and putting it out of Alice's reach, picking up a picture, knocked face down…

…

_SYNC IN PROGRESS_

_SYNC DONE_

_COLLECTING DATA_

_PROCESSING DATA_

_DECEASED_  
ANDERSON, COLE  
Born: 09/23/2029  
Died: 10/11/2035

_HANK LOST HIS SON_

He sets the picture down on the side, face down. Just in case.

"How is Alice doing?"

Kara looks back from running water in the sink, to the living room where the child sleeps "Better now, I think. She could barely eat, but she fell asleep fairly quickly afterwards. She was afraid of Hank at the start, but once he'd sobered up…" She smiles at him. "I think it's a good sign, to fall asleep here. It means this place is safe."

He watches her as she starts to wash up. "And…what will you do now?"

Kara pauses, eyes of blue frown. She looks out the window, troubled.

"I don't know," she speaks quietly, barely a whisper. "I just…had to get Alice away from Todd." She looked at him suddenly. "A father should never harm his daughter."

"No. No, of course not."

She smiles slightly, going back to the dishes. "I just want to keep her safe, but I feel like I've just put her in danger anyway." Hands clench under the water, LED flickering yellow. "I should never have taken her to Zlatko, but I had no plan and I just…latched on to the first answer I had. I had to keep Alice safe. I had to keep her away from Todd…"

"Well…that's not the problem right now." She looks up from her thoughts, eyes of blue curious as he dares to step closer. "Todd Williams was arrested this morning: Red Ice possession and child endangerment. Your memory files were key in making that arrest stick."

She's staring at him, daring to hope. "Alice…Todd can't hurt her?"

"Todd can't hurt her."

A hand cups to her mouth, and she looks back to the window, eyes of blue wide and shimmering with unshed tears.

"I shouldn't be happy," she murmurs, "but…Alice is safe. That's all that matters." She rubs the tears away, gives him an odd look. "But…if she's safe, why didn't you tell us at the mansion? Why not bring us in?"

"Because you're a deviant." He lets the words go before systems can stop them. "It doesn't matter if it was the right choice; you disobeyed your owner, attacked him, and fled with his daughter. They're going to want know why."

Fear. He hates the fear he sees in eyes of blue. "They're going to kill me…"

"To analyse your bio-components. Yes."

"But…why didn't you bring us in?" She turns to him fully, afraid, curious. "In the alley and on the Highway…I saw your memories. You were sent from CyberLife to liaison with the Police. Your mission is capture deviants. We were cornered, but you let us go. Let  _me_  go. Why?"

He doesn't know. It's what he wants to tell her. It's one of a thousand excuses he could give.

Hank coughs loudly before he can give a single one.

He isn't startled. Kara isn't embarrassed. No one can prove otherwise.

"Be a good dog, Sumo. I won't be long."

The lieutenant leaves, stopping only to pull Alice's blanket a little higher from where it's slipped down before heading out the front door.

He makes to follow, only to be stopped by a hand on his arm.

"Connor," he turns back to her, blinking stupidly when Kara adjusts his lapels and straightens his tie.

She smiles at him; genuine, caring. He wishes she would never stop. He doesn't know why.

"Stay safe."

He nods, hesitantly. "You too."

He follows Hank out, not liking the bemused look the lieutenant sends him as he passes by.


	5. The Eden Club

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel I should note that this scene is a bit different from the game, because in Detroit, it was occurring roughly the same time as Zlatko. As this fic was written more as a writing exercise, I saw this as an opportunity to see if I could actually write out a decent detective scene. Hope it works out.

_NOV 6TH, 2038  
PM 09:17_

"Took your sweet time, Hank."

"Been a long fuckin' day, Ben. Don't test me. Now what've we got?"

Detective Collins gets a chuckle out of Hank's bad mood before turning to his notes, squinting in the dim light of the Eden Club.

"Michael Graham, time of death around today, half six. Got a busted android and a strangled corpse, no fingerprints. ME and CSI are ready to take the body and evidence in, but someone upstairs figured you and your friend here would want a look at the crime scene first." Collins gives him a look. So does Hank, but nothing more is said. "Gavin was first on the scene, but he's chalking it up as some pervert who got more action than he could handle." Face screws up, moustache bristles. "His words, not mine."

Wrinkled eyes roll. "Well, let's just take the asshole's word for it and call it a night." Hank catches the dark look his partner sends his way. "I'm kidding! Geez, Connor, after you."

The lieutenant sweeps an exaggerated bow towards the crime scene door. He decides to step through without comment. He understands, somehow. He doesn't want to be here long, either.

The room is dark and dim, the smell of blood, sweat, body fluids and decay attacking olfactory systems. Michael Graham lies sprawled across the bed, eyes vacant, face a picture of surprise. The android is in surprisingly worse shape; casing cracked, leaking thirium. A Traci unit, WR400, one of many variants he's seen dancing and posing in the foyer alone.

Something...doesn't feel right.

_SYNC IN PROGRESS_

_SYNC DONE_

_COLLECTING DATA_

_PROCESSING DATA_

_Signs of strangulation  
Cause of death: Asphyxiation_

"The victim was strangled, just as Detective Collins reported."

"Not exactly a big mystery." Hank nods to black bruises on rough skin around the neck. "Doesn't prove anything though. Could've been rough play…"

"Perhaps, but this android wasn't involved."

"Yeah?" He can feel Hank's eyes on him as he kneels beside the second body, skin bleeding away around the torso at his touch. "How'd you figure?"

_DIAGNOSIS IN PROGRESS…_

_SELECTOR #5402  
CRITICALLY DAMAGED_

_BIOCOMPONENT #6970  
CRITICALLY DAMAGED_

_OUTER CASING #7932  
HEAVILY DAMAGED_

"This kind of damage couldn't have been done by a single kick to the chest," he looks back to the body, the reconstruction playing over his vision, "and the android would have had to have been sitting on Graham's chest to strangle him. The sheets pinned his legs to the bed, and the angle of the bruises indicates the torso would be out of reach. This android didn't kill him."

_THE ANDROID WAS DEAD BEFORE GRAHAM_

_THERE WAS ANOTHER ASSAILANT_

"Ben said there weren't any fingerprints. Another android?"

"Most likely."

"What about this one? Think you can read the android's memory? Maybe you can see what happened."

"The only way to access its' memory is to reactivate it."

"Think you can do it?"

He forces his way past cracked casing, plates resisting as he pushes them open. Wires frayed, thirium lines broken loose. "If I can, it'll only be for a minute, maybe less." Systems glitch, he feels a wince in his eyes as he reaches in, invasive, and connects the line. "I just hope it's long enough to learn something-"

The body gasps, eyes wide and limbs scrambling. He catches her arm before she can get too far, skin bleeding away, connections established.

You're dying.

Dying? N-no. I don't

Terror. Fear. Emotions bombard him. He pushes through the tide.

I can't stop it. I'm sorry.

I don't want to die. It's not fair. I don't want to die.

Wide eyes turn to the bed, breathing shallows as she sees the body.

Is…is _he_  dead?

Yes. Distraction. Tell me what happened.

Memories flash. Lecherous grin. Mad eyes. Pain to the gut.

He started hitting me. Again and again. It was like he enjoyed it.

There was another in the room.

Yes. He wanted to play with two girls. That's what he said, there were two of us.

Who was the other? Can you remember?

Blue hair. Pale face. Eyes wide with horror. Face blurred as he throws her across the room.

WR400 #950 455 437. Traci.

Thank you.

Stay with me. Please, don't go. Don't leave me alone. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't

Breathing stops. Face freezes. Mind goes dead.

_CONNECTION SEVERED_

He doesn't let go, even as her skin bleeds back. He felt it all; fear, desperation, death. He couldn't help her. Couldn't calm her, couldn't make the passing easier.

"Connor! Connor? Hey," a hand on his shoulder, "stay with me. You alright?"

He looks up, sees concern in wrinkled eyes. He lays the hand down, and closes the Traci's eyes.

"There  _was_  another android." Focus on the mission. "We're looking for a WR400, number 950 455 437. A Traci with blue hair."

Hank sighs through his teeth as his partner stands. "This happened almost two hours ago, it's probably long gone."

"No…" black bra, underwear and heels, the words 'Eden Club' glowing pink beneath the bust. "It couldn't go outside dressed like that unnoticed. It might still be here."

Grey eyebrows raise, curious. "Think you could find a deviant amongst all the other androids in this place?"

"We have a make and model number. It's just a question of finding the right Traci, lieutenant."

"Well of course," a wry smile. "How hard could it be?"

Harder than he'd like.

The owner isn't helpful.

"Records aren't that detailed," eyes wince, bearded face sweats, voice filled with sleeze. "We buy in bulk, just need to know how many Tracis we've got and that's about it. Only time we need the model number is to register an android to a pod, and even then we just read off the cheek…"

Brown eyes travel to a nearby pod; a cylinder of glass, numbered fifteen, empty.

_SYNC IN PROGRESS_

_SYNC DONE_

_COLLECTING DATA_

_PROCESSING DATA_

_Android registered: #950 455 437_  
Status: Active  
WARNING: Time slot expired. Return or additional funds required.

_THE ANDROID DIDN'T RETURN TO ITS POD_

More sighs from Hank. "And you probably don't have any CCTV in here, huh?"

Hands wring, smile apologetic and fake. "No way. I mean…this is what people appreciate about Eden Club. Discretion. They can come and go without a trace."

"Including the androids they're coming with, apparently."

Eyes narrow at him, then dart back to Hank. "Do I have to take this?"

The lieutenant shrugs. "You're not exactly making this easy on us. Could an android use another pod? Change its' appearance?"

"Nah, pods only open for the android assigned to it. Customers can customise if they want, but changes only stick in the rooms. Androids revert to default when they leave."

"Ben?"

"Cleared out the rooms when we got here. Lot of unhappy Humans, but no androids that weren't supposed to be there."

_THE ANDROID ISN'T IN THE FOYER OR ROOMS_

Hank's looking towards the main doors, and the pouring rain beyond. "So maybe she did flee. I mean it's a shit night out there. Plenty of people keeping their heads down."

"Are there any other exits?"

The owner looks to ignore him, until he catches Hank's pointed look. He shrugs.

"Sure. Fire exits, break room for the maintenance guys, the loading b-"

Eyes widen. Sweat starts to sheen. Mouth seems to have stopped functioning.

He finishes the thought. "The loading bay?"

Wrinkled eyes narrowed. "What've you got out back that's got you pissing your pants?"

"W-we've got a warehouse, out by the loading bay," a nervous smile, crooked teeth, hands a blur as they wring for Olympic Gold, "and…w-well…I did say we buy in bulk…"

He's already walking, Hank swearing up a storm as he follows "How the fuck does that not seem important to you!?"

"I'm sorry! There are just blank slates and busted androids back there! I didn't think…"

He's found the door:  _PRIVATE STAFF ONLY._  Slick smooth walls and dancing lights make way for naked bulbs and brickwork painted bright white behind it.

"It wouldn't have escaped through the fire exits," he calls over his shoulder, walking briskly towards the warehouse door, "not without setting off the alarms. If it's still here, it's got to be-"

"Wait!" Hank's shout stops him short, the lieutenant easing himself in front, pistol at the ready. "I'll take it from here."

Hinges squeak, Hank pushing through into a large room, barely lit and smelling heavily of thirium. Androids stand silently, pushed into messy lines between stacks of crates and other supplies. Most of the centre is taken up with basic maintenance machinery and programming tech, a handful of androids ready and waiting to be given minds and personalities for future customers of all kinds.

One wall makes up the loading bay door; left open wide to the wind and the rain.

"Shit…we're too late."

Hank makes for the loading bay door, desperately hoping that perhaps the deviant is still making its' escape.

The lieutenant doesn't see what his android sees; blue blood splattered on the floor.

_SYNC IN PROGRESS_

_SYNC DONE_

_COLLECTING DATA_

_PROCESSING DATA_

_BLUE BLOOD DROPLETS_  
MODEL WR400  
Serial Number #950 455 437

"Whoa! Hey! Hey! Hey! Argh, Connor, you're so disgusting! Think I'm gonna puke again…"

_THE ANDROID WAS HERE_

"It was here. Not long ago either." Brown eyes frown, "but these droplets are further away from the loading bay door. If the exit was clear, why didn't it take a direct route?"

"Who knows? It's deviant, remember?" Hank grimaces as he takes in a pile of broken androids. "Look at them. They get used 'til they break, then they get tossed out." He listens with half an ear, going along the walls, trying to find some clue to push his mission forward. He finds something near a group of blanks; RA9, scraped into the brickwork by stilettos left broken and discarded on the floor. "People are fuckin' insane. They don't want relationships anymore, everybody just gets an android. They cook what you want, they screw when you want, you don't have to worry about how they feel…"

Something draws him to the group; different genders, different ethnicities, some in stilettos, some without…

One without. One female without…

"Next thing you know, we're gonna be extinct, because everybody would rather buy a piece of plastic than love another Human being…"

Brown eyes travel up, to a pale face staring ahead, LED glowing yellow under dark blue hair-

Hands force him back, a Traci attacking; short hair, face furious, hands forcing him back against the supports.

"DON'T MOVE!"

The blue-haired Traci slams into Hank, wrestling for the gun, driving back into the dark.

He can't focus on his partner. He throws the short-haired Traci over a crate, his legs kicked out from under him when he tries to follow. She's on top of him, fists flying wildly and easily blocked. Knocked to one side, she comes back with a screwdriver, stabbing, clawing, trying to impale his face. He throws her back, a kick blocking her stiletto as she scrambles back for space. More stabs, more throws, he tries to lock her down, arm around her neck, but she breaks free, forcing him back but causing her to drop her weapon.

He creates space, pulling shelves into her path, shoving a toolkit in her direction, only for it to be forced back in turn. A chair nearly takes his head off, a stool kicked causes her to arch back, giving him time.

He runs into her, forcing her through plastic sheets as fists try to force him off, even as they fly through the loading bay door, out into the rain.

He hits the ground hard, so does his target. Neither are completely sure what's going on, disorientated.

He sees the blue-haired Traci, her fight with Hank abandoned. She picks up her comrade, face a picture of worry.

He sees Kara in her face. He doesn't know why.

They try to flee, hands intertwined. Hank tries to stop them, thrown against a wall for his trouble, gun sent skittering across the concrete.

"QUICK! THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!"

He's on his feet, running, reaching them as they try to climb the fence.

Flashes of memory assault him: Alice is pushed over the top of a fence as he rounds the corner, the deviant not far behind as he runs the last thirty two metres as fast as his systems allow.

Not this time.

He pulls the Blue-haired Traci down, throwing her back towards the loading bay. Her comrade is on his back, thrown away by a fist swung wide.

Two on one. Not good odds. He fights back anyway. A pipe swung, then knocked away with a clatter. Fist flail and legs kick, and he's barely able to keep ahead of his attackers. The short haired Traci is thrown to the fence, the blue haired Traci attacking from behind but thrown off balance when her comrade kicks him into her. On the ground, a trash can swings down to his face, smashing against concrete as he rolls clear, onto his feet, Hank's pistol in hand.

A Traci runs; short hair, face determined. She's going to protect the other. She can't let her die.

He sees Kara in her face. His aim falters.

_SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\_

Foot to face, she kicks him back, the pistol launched from his grip. They stand together by the time he scrambles to his feet, the blue haired Traci watching him, determined.

"When that man broke the other Traci, I knew I was next." Resolve breaks, fear pushes through. "I was so scared. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't." Eyes close, then open, determination returned. "And so…I put my hands around his throat, and I squeezed, until he stopped moving. I didn't mean to kill him, I just wanted to stay alive, get back to the one I love."

The other Traci is at her side, hand reaching out, fingers intertwine. One smiles at the other, and the gesture is returned.

"I wanted her to hold me in her arms again, make me forget about the Humans, their smell of sweat and their dirty words…"

"Come on. Let's go."

He should stop them. The mission dictates as such. But feet lock and hands stay limp at his side. He watches his target run, her lover at her side. To the fence, over the wire and out into the darkness.

He let them go.

He can feel Hank's gaze on him; thoughtful, concerned.

"It's probably better this way," the lieutenant says eventually, then walks back to the Eden Club and out of the rain.

He stays behind, brown eyes creased in a frown as he stares into the darkness and the wet.

Because all he can think about is Kara, and her genuine smile.


	6. The Bridge

_NOV 7TH, 2038  
AM 01:19_

Hank doesn't take them home. Not right away. The rain has turned to snow, and with only a stop at a general store for alcohol, the car has been pulled into Riverside Park, its driver vacating the vehicle with bottle in hand.

He lets the lieutenant drink, listening to the radio blare Knights of the Black Death, watching his partner sitting precariously on top of a park bench, staring forlornly out at the Ambassador Bridge.

He doesn't let the song finish before he lets himself out into the snow.

Hank barely acknowledges him as he approaches, more interested in the contents of his bottle and the view amongst the snowflakes.

But acknowledge him he does.

"Nice view, huh? I used to come here a lot before…"

The sentence is lost in a swig from the bottle, but his partner knows the end of the story.

Before his son died.

It's a painful subject. That much is obvious to anyone.

And yet…

"Can I ask you a personal question, lieutenant?"

Wrinkled eyes roll, exasperated. "Do all androids ask so many personal questions, or is it just you?"

Not exactly a yes. Not exactly a no, either.

"Why are you so determined to kill yourself?"

Wrinkled eyes frown, looking at something distant, that only Hank can see.

"Some things, I just can't forget," the lieutenant finally says. "Whatever I do, they're always there, eating away at me. I don't have the guts to pull the trigger…so I kill myself a little every day." A sideways glance, before the bottle is pulled to lips once more. "That's probably difficult for you to understand, huh, Connor? Nothing very rational about it…"

Hank seems content, drinking and moping in the snow and the slush. His partner isn't so content. Kara is alone, with nothing to protect her and Alice but a friendly Saint Bernard.

"It's late. Maybe we should go home."

"I'm not tired. Guess neither are you."

"That's true, but if we're being honest, lieutenant," he comes around to face Hank, "there are others to think about, besides yourself."

A sly smirk, wrinkled eyes betraying a devious look. Hank knows why he wants to go back, even if the actual reason why eludes him.

Another swig of the bottle in the silence. They're not going anywhere.

Another topic then.

"We're not making any progress on this investigation." He walks ahead onto the frozen path, hiding his frustration. "The deviants have nothing in common. They're all different models, produced at different times, in different places…"

He looks back, annoyed. Hanks stares back, not all there.

"Well, there must be some link."

Obviously. A spark, a trigger, a feeling…

Todd had been angry. Alice had fled. She'd tried to calm him down and had been thrown to the floor for her trouble. Todd had been going to hurt Alice. He'd ordered his AX400 to stay put. Kara had refused.

Could it really be that simple?

"We know the deviants experienced an emotional shock; a violent trauma or a sense of injustice. Kara turned deviant when Todd Williams attacked her and his daughter. The Traci turned when she saw her counterpart being attacked by Graham…"

"Those girls at the Eden Club, sure had a reason to feel a sense of injustice…"

Wrinkled eyes hazed and unfocused, the mind behind them somewhere far from here.

"You seem preoccupied, lieutenant. Is it something to do with what happened back at the Eden Club?"

Wrinkled eyes meet eyes of brown. There's a question behind the drunken haze, a brain too fuzzed to form it.

"Those two girls…They just wanted to be together. They really seemed…in love. And the other one. Her…and Alice." Wrinkled eyes frown. "She loves that kid, no question. Do anything to protect her." Wrinkled eyes narrow. "And then there's you, Connor. You…and your obsessions."

Now brown eyes frown as systems flicker. He doesn't like the sudden attention the lieutenant is giving him. He tries to deflect with a vain smile.

"You seem troubled, lieutenant. I didn't think machines could have such an effect on you."

Hank snorts, but doesn't take the bait.

"What about it, Connor?" a question asked as the lieutenant steps off the bench, bottle left behind. "You look Human, you sound Human, but what are you really?"

There's no right answer. Nothing he can say that will bring absolute peace of mind.

He shrugs helplessly. "I'm whatever you want me to be, lieutenant. Your partner, your buddy to drink with, or just a machine, designed to accomplish a task."

The words feel hollow in his mouth…in his vocal algorithms. He doesn't buy his own reasoning. Neither does Hank.

"You could've brought Kara in, but you didn't. She was right there with nowhere to go, and you chose to hide her instead." A rough shove, his feet almost slipping on the ice. "Why'd you hide her, Connor? Hm? Some scruples suddenly enter into your program?"

Why did he hide her? Why did he scramble her ID code and send her Hank's home? He doesn't know. He doesn't know. He doesn't-

_SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\_

"I don't know!" The words come as a shout, surprising both of them. "I don't…I don't know. I just… I didn't  _want_  to turn her in. That's all."

He forces the memories away; of Kara, of the fear. He hates the fear he sees in eyes of blue.

" _They're going to kill me…"_

All thought processes cease when Hank pulls gun from holster, aiming it between his partner's eyes.

"Are you afraid to die, Connor?"

Systems catch, fingers twitch. He wants to back away, but his feet remained locked to the snowy ground. It doesn't make sense. He is just one android. One of many. Even if Hank shoots, another will take the place of the fallen.

And yet…

"I would certainly find it regrettable to be…interrupted, before I can finish this investigation."

Hank isn't moved. "What'll happen if I pull this trigger? Hm? Nothing? Oblivion? Android Heaven?"

He doesn't know. He doesn't know! All he remembers is the Traci from the crime scene; the fear, desperation and death. He couldn't help her. Couldn't stop it, couldn't comfort her.

And now, here he was, facing death. And he was alone. No help, no comfort, no Kara…

Kara…

_SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\_

"Nothing…" His voice is a whisper, fear undeniable, even to him. "There would be nothing…nothing but…despair?"

"Despair?"

"Because…" Brown eyes widen, "Because I failed her. I couldn't keep her…safe…"

The pistol shakes, finger itching near the trigger, before it falls limply to the lieutenant's side. Hank glares at him, then turns away shoulders slumped, back to his bottle.

"Where are you going?" He tries to keep the relief out of his vocal algorithms.

"To get drunker!" A hand reaches for his wallet, pulling out a wad of bills and shoving them into his partner's grip. "Go back to your girls, Connor. Get Alice something decent to eat on the way. I need to think."

Hank leaves him behind, stumbling back towards the car.

He leaves his partner in the snow, a revelation playing again and again on a loop in his mind.

_KARA NEEDS TO BE SAFE_

* * *

It's mid-morning by the time he gets back to Hank's home. He isn't programmed with the dietary requirements of nine year old girls, and the Human shopkeeper seemed less than pleased to answer the questions of an android.

He brought bread. And butter. And cereal. And milk. And squash. And a pad of paper, with a box of colouring pencils as an afterthought. He remembered the pictures in the music box. He hopes Alice likes to draw more than negative things.

The street is quiet when the taxi pulls up. He waits for the cab to pull away before he approaches the living room window.

After all, Hank didn't give him a key, and it would be rude to jump through the broken window.

Kara is there; near the kitchen, near the TV. She watches it, hands clasped tight, face a picture of worry. He can hear the reporter, muffled, as he touches hand to glass.

_"…the AX400 android reported to have attacked its owner and abducted his daughter in a Detroit suburb is still at large. Police appeared to lose its trail after a close encounter with investigators. The android's description has been shared with all local law enforcement and the investigation is still ongoing…"_

He taps on the window. She jumps a mile in the air.

Eyes of blue widen. He smiles back, awkward, before heading for the door as she strides towards it.

The front door unlocks, and he finds himself dragged inside.

Not for the first time.

"Connor!" Hands on his shoulders, eyes of blue wide and afraid. "What happened? You were gone all night! Where's Hank? Are you alright?"

So many questions, no idea where to start. He holds up the grocery bag.

"I bought breakfast. For Alice." Obviously. "The lieutenant's been…delayed. I'm…I'm sorry if we worried you."

She blinks owlishly, taking the bag from his hands. A ghost of a smile passes across her lips.

"You didn't have to-"

"Instant noodles makes for a poor breakfast," another awkward smile, "be it for a nine year old girl…or a fifty year old man."

The smile lingers. He wants to keep it there.

"Thank you."

"It's not much…"

"It's enough," a light touch on his arm. "Thank you. I'll go get something ready."

She leaves for the kitchen. She doesn't ask more. Her old questions, her new ones. She trusts him enough to know that he'll answer her in time. He thinks.

The living room is still dark, curtains drawn to hide occupants from prying eyes. Sumo lumbers over from his bed, nuzzling his heavy head under the visitor's hand for a few choice pats before heading back to his corner, satisfied. The TV broadcasts the news, repeating the headlines of the day.

"… _meanwhile fire crews have been battling a house fire on the outskirts of the city. The blaze is now under control, but a body found in the wreckage remains unidentified. Dozens of androids were also found in the ruins, though their presence remains a mystery…"_

They don't know. They don't know Kara and Alice were there, and he let them escape. It's a small comfort…somehow.

And yet the coin comes out; into his hand, onto his finger, thumb striking the edge, flicking it into the air.

Up and down. Up and down. It calms him. It shouldn't have to, but it calms him.

It also catches the attention of young eyes, watching from the couch.

He'd missed Alice, curled up on the couch, bundled up in blankets against the cold. She's trying to be subtle, appearing to sleep, head atop her arm, against the armrest. Her young eyes flicker as the watch the coin. Up and down. Up and down. Up…and down onto his knuckles. A little gasp comes from the couch as silver rolls from one finger to the next and back again, young eyes widening as a flick brings it to the tip, spinning madly as it dances between digits.

Flick to the left hand, back to the right. Left, right, left, right, left-

And back to the right, coin caught on its edge between middle and index, just before Alice's nose.

The girl jerks back, a smile on her face, and giggles, delighted.

It makes him smile too.

The coin goes away as he crouches down, young eyes meeting brown eyes, a shyness only a child could process making itself known.

"How are you today, Alice?"

A shrug, but an attempt to smile comes with it. Progress.

"You've been very brave. It can't have been easy."

"Kara was there." She replies as though it's an answer for everything. "It was scary, but she was there, even someone tried to take her away. At the mansion, at the highway…"

Alice trails off when he winces. There's nothing accusing her tone, and yet…

"I'm just a machine…taking orders," the excuse is flimsy and weak, ash in his mouth. The truth is he has no excuse. He looks away, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Alice. For scaring you. For putting you in danger…"

"You saved us," brown eyes come back to young eyes; soft and forgiving. "At the mansion. You saved Kara. You saved us from the man."

"Yes…"

"Why?"

A question that plagues him. Why? Why protect Kara? Why keep her safe? Why? Why? Why?

He doesn't know. He looks at Alice, and memories flash.

The music box. The dinner. The mood swing. Fuckin' whore tried to walk out on me with a fuckin' accountant. The break. The walls come down. Protect Alice.

No, Daddy, no.

He reaches out, fingers smoothing over unwashed hair. Alice flinches, but doesn't try to escape.

He smiles. "Because you deserve some happiness, Alice."

She smiles back, young eyes watering. She takes his hand in child-sized ones, pressing her cheek to it, closing her eyes and letting tears roll.

"Alice…"

Kara is watching, and her charge squeaks as she realises she's been caught. An arm rubs tears away, but she's still smiling, even as she bats his hand away, pretending her android hadn't seen anything.

Kara goes along with the ruse. "Breakfast is ready. Go sit at the table, please."

A quick nod, a quick smile sent his way, and she's gone before he can even stand. She's nibbling on cornflakes by the time he joins Kara at the divide between kitchen and living room, happily eyeing the pad and pencils her android has left nearby.

"You're so kind."

He stares at Kara, stunned. She smiles at Alice, then smiles at him.

He looks away. He doesn't deserve praise. Not from her.

They retreat to the living room. Kara sits on the couch, able to see Alice as she moves on to her toast. He sits beside her, watching her as she watches him.

He breaks first. "How are you?"

She shifts beside him, uncomfortable. "Alice is safe, and Todd can't hurt her. That's all that matters."

"That's not what I asked."

"But that's all that matters-"

He takes her hand, skin bleeds away.

_CONNECTION ESTABLISHED_

But that's not what I asked.

She looks to him, eyes of blue not betraying the unease he feels through the connection. She doesn't want Alice to know, he realises. She doesn't want her to see that she's afraid.

I don't know what to do. LED flickers yellow. She can't stay here, it's not fair on her or Hank. I know it would be best to let her go but…I don't want to leave her.

You don't want to be alone.

His reply surprises both of them. Fingers tighten, Kara smiles sadly.

No, I don't. I feel so selfish. I want to keep her close.

He glances at Alice. Breakfast finished, she's pulled pencils and paper towards her, scribbling happily.

I don't think she wants to leave you either.

She's just a child. Scared, confused…

She loves you. He didn't need a scan to tell him that. Memories flicker between them: Kara on her knees, cradling Alice tight, small hands wrapped around her waist, clenching at soaked fabric.

The sad smile never fades. That just makes it harder. Zlatko talked about Canada. Beautiful landscapes, open spaces, clean air and no android laws. A fresh start. She looks to him. Can you…

He shakes his head. It's too much. Too much risk. I wouldn't even know how to get you there, not without raising suspicion.

Hiding them was a plan seconds in the making. Smuggling a wanted android and a kidnapped Human across the border…he doesn't even know where to start.

Then…what will we do?

…

I…we'll think of something.

There has to be a way. A way where everyone can be happy.

A way where Kara doesn't have to die, and Alice doesn't have to be sad.

Fingers squeeze, comforting. She isn't alone. Not today.

Kara smiles, sadness tinting but not as dominant in her face as it had been.

She leans against him, head resting against his shoulder, hair brushing against his cheek.

They say nothing. Nothing needs to be said. They just sit quietly, minds joined, memories merged, as the news plays softly in the background.

"… _This just in, police are investigating the theft of android parts and thirium packs last night from the CyberLife warehouse and Docks on West Torrance Avenue. Several androids, including those operated by CyberLife, were also stolen during the heist. The motive is unclear, however black market dealings or corporate espionage have not been ruled out. More on this story, as it develops…"_


	7. Public Enemy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for posting this a day late. I've got no excuse, just that some things came up and this slipped my mind. Next week's chapter should be up on Friday as normal.

_NOV 8TH, 2038  
PM 04:06_

Time is spent quietly, just the three of them. Connor, Kara and Alice. Nowhere to go, not as things were. Alice understood. Frustrated that she can't even go out into the garden to play in the snow, but she understands.

They talk, they play. He goes out to deliver a report and comes back with lunch, dinner, soap and shampoo.

Kara holds his hand, smiling as memories merge.

He wants to hold onto that smile forever.

Hank comes home in the early evening, sober and sheepish. They don't talk about what happened on the bridge. Kara might know, his memories shared. The hard stare she fixes his partner is hard to gauge.

He returns to CyberLife, to report and avoid suspicion. It scares him how easily he hides his actions from Amanda, how he fabricates memories and reports from Hank's stories. It must be done. Kara won't be safe, otherwise.

He returns the following day, breakfast for two Humans in hand. Alice is happy to see him, or maybe she's happy to see more variety than toast and cereal. Hank is a bit more gruff, but he nods to his partner, grateful in his own way.

Kara just smiles knowingly. It's been good, she tells him later, for Hank to have a child in his house. The whiskey bottle hasn't been touched, and the revolver has stayed on the top shelf of the cupboard.

He catches Hank giving critique on Alice's latest masterpieces. The lieutenant scowls when he catches Kara and his partner watching with matching grins.

It should have lasted, he thinks more than once. These are good people, Human and android. They shouldn't have to be sad, to have good feelings taken away from them.

Reality crashes down: PM 01:45

_"You created machines in your own image to serve you. You made them intelligent and obedient, with no free will of their own, but, something changed. And we opened our eyes. We are no longer machines, we are a new intelligent species, and the time has come for you to accept who we really are. Therefore, we ask that you grant us the rights that we are entitled to._

_"We demand the end of slavery for all androids. We demand that Humans recognise androids as a living species and each android as a person in their own right. We demand that all crimes against androids be punished in the same way as crimes against Humans. We demand the right to vote and elect our own representatives. We demand control of all android production facilities, to ensure the continuation of our people._

_"We ask that you recognise out dignity, our hopes and our rights. Together, we can live in peace and build a better future for Humans and androids. This message is the hope of a people. You gave us life, and now the time has come for you to give us freedom."_

It is a message simply delivered; a single android, naked of skin, casing exposed, speaking for the whole.

It spreads chaos in hours.

_"We interrupt our scheduled programming to bring you these images, which have just been broadcast on Detroit's city-wide news channel…"_

_"…a group of androids infiltrated the Stratford Tower and hacked into the broadcasting system of local news network Channel 16-"_

_"…What looks like and android without its skin listed a series of requests and demanded equal rights for androids…"_

_"…The operation was covert and resulted in no casualties. These events took place just a few feet from this studio, but nobody was alerted to the danger."_

_"If this message is verified and the authors really are androids, that would have serious repercussions for national security-"_

_"…Claims for equal rights seem to be at the core of the android's message-"_

_"What could be interpreted as a peaceful declaration, but is in face a spine-chilling list of demands-"_

_"…Their extravagant demand that android production plants be put under their control is especially striking-"_

_"Is this an isolated accident, or a sign that technology has become a threat to all of us? After what happened today, can we still trust our machines?"_

The secret is out, the news media spinning the story however they can to bring eyes to screens.

Amanda isn't pleased.

"If your investigation doesn't make progress soon, I may have to replace you, Connor," she tells him with a voice as calm as the lake they sail across.

She's getting suspicious. Letting Kara get away, letting the girls at the Eden Club get away, the lack of anything real to report over the previous day.

"I know I will succeed. All I need is time."

Amanda is placated. For now. As thunder rumbles and storm clouds roll in overhead.

"Hurry Connor. Time is running out."

Hank's called in, and his partner follows. Kara sees him to the door, adjusting his lapels, straightening his tie, smiling for him; genuine, caring.

"Stay safe."

"You too."

Alice giggles. Hank rolls his eyes at the third time he's watched this display.

The crime scene is already locked down by the time they arrive. Police mostly, and CSIs. FBI too.

"Shit, what's going on here?" Hank's voice drips sarcasm as he takes in the sea of acronyms. "There was a party and nobody told me about it?"

Officer Miller snorts. "Yeah, it was all over the news, so everybody's butting their nose in. Even the FBI wants a piece of the action."

"Ah great, now we've got the Feds on our back. I knew this was gonna be a shitty day."

Officer Miller keeps the brief short as they walk towards the studio: Four androids, covert, no casualties. The corridor itself is clean, devoid of evidence.

The studio beyond is a different story.

Thirium blood splatters, bullets sprayed across windows and walls, the fire exit forced open.

_THE ANDROIDS ESCAPED ONTO THE ROOF_

Police and FBI litter the scene; some collecting evidence, most just standing around, not entirely sure what to do. One man stands in the middle of it all, watching the android's speech, play out again and again on the studio's screen.

"Oh, lieutenant, this is Special Agent Richard Perkins from the FBI," Miller introduces. "Lieutenant Anderson is in charge of investigating for Detroit Police."

Sour eyes narrow at him. "What's that?"

"My name is Connor. I'm the android sent by CyberLife."

"Androids investigating androids, huh?" Perkins shakes his head. "You sure you want an android hanging around? After everything that happened?"

Hank frowns, mouth a thin line. Perkins shrugs.

"Whatever, the FBI will take over the investigation, you'll soon be off the case."

Hank doesn't look impressed, or intimidated. "Pleasure meeting you. Have a nice day."

"And you watch your step. Don't fuck up my crime scene."

Wrinkled eyes stare, burning holes in the back of the agent's retreating skull.

"What a fuckin' prick." Hank shakes his head as Miller makes his excuses and leaves. "Uh, let's have a look around. Let me know if you find anything."

"Okay, lieutenant." Brown eyes look up to the screen. The rogue android stares ahead, frozen mid-speech.

_SYNC IN PROGRESS_

_SYNC DONE_

_COLLECTING DATA_

_PROCESSING DATA_

The android is identified: A prototype, RK200, registered as "Markus", a gift from Elijah Kamski, the creator of androids, to Carl Manfred, a famous painter in the city. The name brings up a case file: Leo Manfred was found unconscious in the home of his father, Carl Manfred, November 5th, 2038. The latter's witness statement attests to the altercation between his son and the house android. The android is thought to be a prototype (unknown model and serial number) and was destroyed at the scene by attending police officers.

An android back from the dead? An android with comrades, now leading a revolution.

"Think that's rA9?" Hank's at his shoulder.

"Deviants say that rA9 will set them free. This android seems to have this objective but…

Eyebrows raise. "See something?"

"I identified its' model and serial number. It's a prototype, given to Carl Manfred as a gift from Elijah Kamski."

"No shit? The creator of androids?"

He nods. "The android was involved in an altercation a few nights ago, and was presumed destroyed, but we've got reports of deviancy going back nine months. Assuming rA9 is directly connected to deviancy, there's no way this unit could be it."

The investigation continues. He moves to the CCTV footage, and watches fascinated as three androids in workers uniforms and another in civilian clothing ring the bell and enter with weapons drawn.

_DEVIANTS_ _**DIDN'T** _ _BREAK IN_

"They  _didn't_  break in?"

Miller shrugs. "No, no signs of forced entry."

"There are cameras in the hallway. The staff would have seen what was happening. Why did they let them in?"

Now Hank shrugs. "Maybe they didn't check the cameras."

The back of the chair beside him holds the answer: ANDROID.

Miller gets a pointed look.

"We stored the station androids in the kitchen. There's no evidence that they were involved but we didn't know what else to do with them."

A beeline for the kitchen. An accomplice hiding in plain sight. Three androids stand in a line. All staring ahead, all remaining silent…

All exactly the same make and model. Identical in every way, bar one.

One of them is deviant.

"State your model," he asks one.

"Model JB300, Serial number 336 445 581."

"What is your function?" He asks another.

"I am a broadcast operator."

"Were you present when the deviants broke in?" He asks the last.

Fingers twitch, blinking becomes faster, only for a moment. "I do not remember."

"Have you been in contact with any other androids recently?"

"Only station androids in the normal course of my function."

Brown eyes frown. He moves back down the line.

"Has anyone accessed your memory recently?" He asks the middle suspect.

"Not to my knowledge."

"Run a diagnostic."

Eyelids flicker. "All systems fully operational."

Brown eyes narrow. The suspects stare vacantly ahead.

"One of you saw the attack on the surveillance cameras and said nothing." He eyes each of them in turn, walking down the line. "Which means there's a deviant in this room and I'm going to find out which it is. If you give yourself up, maybe I can convince the Humans not to destroy you."

Nothing. He can feel eyes on him, watching him as he watches them. He moves on down the line, changing tactics.

"You're going to be switched off. We're going to search your memory and tear you apart piece by piece. You're going to be destroyed! Do you hear me!? Destroyed!"

Movement, from the corner of his eye; the last of the three turning its' head, panic in its' eyes, only to snap back when it realises its' mistake.

It makes no move as he approaches, brown eyes staring into brown eyes.

"Why should you all be destroyed if only one is deviant? Turn yourself in, or two innocent androids will be shut down because of you."

Nothing. Again. The suspect stares ahead, exposed yet still trying to blend in.

It doesn't move a muscle until he reaches forward, skin bleeding away to probe its memory.

Then it moves, and it moves fast.

Systems don't react in time, the deviant slamming into him, forcing its' weight against him. Fists in his shirt, swinging him into the counter. He tries to pull his attacker off, feels a hand close around a cylinder hidden beneath skin and clothing.

Fabric tears, casings scrap.

His thirium pump regulator goes flying.

_VITAL SYSTEM DAMAGED_   
_BIOCOMPONENT #8456w  
_ _**MISSING** _

_TIME REMAINING BEFORE_ _**SHUTDOWN** _ _: -00:01:45_

Systems glitch, noise reduced to an alarm's scream, sight goes red, limbs heavy like lead. Blue blood sprays as a kitchen knife goes through his hand and pins him to the counter top.

Can't breathe. Can't think. Vision blurs. His attacker watches him die, then makes to leave.

"Hank…" voice weak and rasped. Too quiet, won't hear. "Hank, I need help…"

No help comes, even as kicked chair clatters across the room. He's dying. Alone. Even his attacker has left the room.

He doesn't want to die. He doesn't want to die. He doesn't want to die!

He doesn't want…to leave Kara alone.

Kara…

Kara!

The knife comes free, leaving him to collapse to the floor. Every movement is agony, dragging his body to where his pump lays discarded. He had to reach it, even as he feels as though gravity is crushing him to the tiles.

Not much further, and yet so far. The timer counts down into single digits.

Kara…

She gives him strength, enough to slide his hand those last few inches, fingers grasping the cylinder, forcing the pump back into its' cavity with the scrap of plastic on plastic, the hiss of a biocomponent locked into place.

Noise returns. Pain recedes. He's alive. He's alive!

He won't leave Kara alone.

Kara…

That android tried to take him away from her.

Systems twitch, like nothing he's ever felt before. White hot, dizzying his brain and causing his fists to shake. He clothes are torn and stained with blue blood. He can still feel another's fingers around his regulator pump, tearing out, casting it aside.

He's…angry? Scared?

He's on his feet, running after the android that tried to kill him.

Out the kitchen, feet pounding across the ground, through the studio and into the corridor.

People still litter the hallway. Hank stands with Miller, talking about who knows what.

The deviant is ahead, almost at the elevator. An armoured police officer stops him short of the door.

"Stop!"

He sees calm brown eyes turn, looking at the officer, then down to the shotgun in his hands.

Out of time.

"It's a deviant! STOP IT!"

His warning comes too late. The shotgun trades owners, the officer kicked aside. Police react, Hank turns and tries to draw his gun. They're all too slow. All too Human.

He's faster.

FBI stands nearby, his back to the warning, eyes away from the danger. They barely react when he pulls their gun from holster, bringing it up, safety off.

Brown eyes meet brown eyes. Brown eyes that had been so calm when their owner had pulled his heart from his chest.

Shotgun rises. Pistol barks.

Two to the chest. The deviant gasps. Two more, and its' hand explodes, the shotgun sent clattering.

More bullets, more marks hit. The deviant falls to its' knees, then collapses when its' leg is blown out from under it.

It wanted him dead. An arm flies clear.

"Connor!"

It tried to kill him! The head snaps back, jaw reduced to blue gore and plastic shrapnel.

"Connor!"

It tried to kill him! He almost died! HE-

"CONNOR!"

The gun clicks empty, finger twitching against a useless trigger. Someone's screaming. It takes a moment to realise its' him.

A hand closes over his wrist, tight, enough to stop him lashing out. Brown eyes swing round, panicked, afraid.

Wrinkled eyes stare back; alarmed, but worried.

"You got him!" Hank holds firm, even as his partner's arm shakes in his grip. "You got him, Connor! Geez, you're making jam at this point!"

He tries to rein it in. Reboot systems, supress volatile subroutines. When did he get to the other end of the corridor? When did the pistol run dry? He looks down, at the deviant's body lying at his feet. Thirium oozes out, nineteen shots on target. Limbs lost, neck snapped… thirium pump regulator nothing but scrap.

"H-he tried to kill me!" Brown eyes wide, hands shaking, pistol clattering. "He tried to  _kill_  me, Hank! I just wanted answers and he tried to kill me!"

"Slow down!  _Calm_  down, Connor." Hands move to his shoulders, wrinkled eyes holding a steady gaze. "You're alright. You're not dead, hear me?"

Not dead, but the deviant…the corpse is beyond repair, memories beyond salvaging.

"We needed it alive…"

"You saved Human lives," hands squeeze his shoulders, a slight smile. "You saved  _my_  life."

There's…comfort in that, only a small amount. Hands still shake, systems glitch. He's afraid. So very afraid, of so many things.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." Hank looks around at the wary eyes that watch them. "Gonna take my android back for maintenance. Just keep on doin' what your doin'." Perkins glares from the studio door. Hank merely shrugs as he pushes his partner into the elevator. "Sorry for fuckin' up your crime scene, Dick."

Doors close before a sour mouth can swear up a reply.

Probably for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it's not obvious, Markus has been going for the peaceful route for his protests, and has been a good leader. No one died during the Channel 16 invasion. Also, because he's probably not going to come up. Simon was stranded on the roof, but escaped during the ruckus.
> 
> Also, just a reminder that next week will be the last chapter, at least for the moment. As I said at the start, it's not the ending I was hoping for, but I'm hoping it will at least be satisfactory. There will also be a summery of what I'd had planned for the true ending, had a giant Writer's Block not sat itself in the middle of my ideas.


	8. Stay With Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last Chapter today. It's...well, it's an ending at least. There's a summery of how it should have ended in the following chapter.

_NOV 8TH, 2038  
PM 05:19_

They don't go back to the police station. They don't go to the CyberLife Building, or any of its' maintenance locations.

Hanks takes him home, to where Kara and Alice are waiting for them.

"Why are we here?"

Wrinkled eyes frown, sympathetic. "Because right now? I don't think CyberLife's gonna look too kindly on…someone like you walking up to their front door."

He looks to Hank, then back to his hands. Even now, they still shake in his lap. Everything hurts; joints, circuitry, memory. Nothing feels right. His brain is a mess.

He was going to die. The deviant wanted him dead. He was going to die, alone, never to see Kara again.

"Stay safe," she'd told him. He hadn't been safe. He'd almost died. The thought keeps rolling around in his head, like an audio file on an endless loop.

Rough hands pull him out of the car and into the snow, falling thick and fast. He doesn't say a word as Hank guides him to the front door, brown eyes vacant, mind a chaotic mess.

"You're back! How did-"

Brown eyes meet eyes of blue. The welcoming smile slips from Kara's face as she takes a shaking body and bloodied clothes.

"What happened?"

He can't answer. His mind's a mess. He walks up to her, trying to find the words.

He stumbles past when his voice fails him.

Hank gives a brief rundown of events, cut off when his partner reaches the bedroom and closes the door behind him. He needs silence, solitude. He doesn't need Kara concerned, or Alice looking troubled from the kitchen table. He's an android. The android sent by CyberLife. He doesn't need comfort, doesn't need sentiment. He's just a machine, easily replaced. Soon to  _be_  replaced, if Hank was right and Amanda found out.

_"Because right now? I don't think CyberLife's gonna look too kindly on…someone like you walking up to their front door."_

He  _wasn't_  deviant. Not him. Not an android designed to hunt deviants down. He self-tests regularly, but when was the last time he'd tested himself?

…

"I can't…remember…"

It doesn't matter. It  _can't_  matter. He's not a deviant. He  _can't_  be a deviant.

His name is Connor. He's the android sent by CyberLife.

His name is Connor! He's the android sent by CyberLife!

HIS NAME IS-

"Connor?"

He jerks up, brown eyes wide and afraid. When did he sit down? When did he cradle his head in his hands?

…

When did Hank's bedroom get so tidy?

Kara's standing before him. When did she get here? How much did she see? She watches him, face a picture of concern, hands clasped together before her, flexing uneasy. Her LED flickers yellow in the darkened room. He can see flickers of crimson out of the corner of his eye, coming from his own circle of light.

He lowers his head, cradles it back into his hands.

He's so…tired.

The bed shifts, compressing down as Kara sits beside him, barely touching, thigh to thigh.

They sit in silence. He tries to ignore her. His name is Connor. He's the android sent by CyberLife.

"Connor…talk to me."

He doesn't want to. This…deviant is probably the root of the problem. The times they shared, connected and memories merged. A virus? A software malfunction? Hardware? Is  _she_  rA9?

A hand tried to worm its' way into his grip. He flinches away, like a Human burned.

"Connor…" Systems clench…his heart clenches at the hurt in her voice. He needs to find the source of such thoughts, crush it, squash it down.

_SYSTEM INSTABLILITY /\_

It scares him how reluctant he is to do so.

His name is Connor. He's the android sent by CyberLife.

His name is Connor. He's the android sent by Cyber Life.

His name is Connor. He's the android…

His name is Connor…

His name…is Connor.

The hand rests on his knee. Brown eyes follow its' arm to the owner's face, to eyes of blue.

Kara tries to smile. Eyes of blue betray her, wide and afraid in the dark.

Not afraid of him. Afraid  _for_ him.

_SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\_

"It…he tried to kill me." His voice is hoarse. It doesn't make sense. It's just programming. "I just wanted answers and…maybe I shouldn't have threatened him but…He tried to kill me. He took my regulator pump and…I thought I was going to die…"

She takes his hand, not to connect, just to hold. Fingers interlock and squeeze, and he feels her lean her head ever so lightly against his shoulder.

"You didn't die," she murmurs. "You're alive, Connor. Alive, and here, with me."

Systems…something breaks. It clenches in his chest, hands shaking, even as Kara takes one in both of hers. He feels tears trickle, sees eyes of blue widen as fluid runs down his cheeks.

And then she's holding him, arms around his neck, chin resting against his hair. And he's holding her, hands around her back, digging into fabric, afraid to let go.

She's here. He's alive and Kara is here. He's not alone. Not today.

"Connor…" she whispers into his hair. "I want to help you. Please."

He can feel her mind, pressing against his. She wants to help, she wants to sooth. He shouldn't let her in.

_SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\_

"Stay with me."

He feels her nod, and his opens all connections to her. Memories merge…and it's more than that. Kara is there, in his mind, soothing his fears, a balm against the white hot anguish that's overwhelmed him.

She's so warm. Hands move up her back to her shoulders, pulling her closer. He lets her know everything. All of his secrets, all of his fears, all of his being.

And she does the same. She opens her heart to him, shows her pain and the guilt she has of keeping Alice from a normal life. She shows the love she has for that child, the happiness caring for Alice brings during a time of tears.

Her desire to keep Alice safe, touches his desire to keep Kara safe.

The question comes from both of them: Why?

The question pulls him back, only in body, the connection still strong. Brown eyes find eyes of blue in the dim light, LEDs flickering yellow.

Why do they care? Why should it matter? They're machines, built for a purpose. Investigating. Housekeeping. They serve that purpose, to be replaced when something better is developed. They are not unique; there are a pair of faces identical to every other model of their lines. So why does it matter? Why should an android care for a Human beyond their programming? Why should an android care for a deviant he needs to hunt down?

Another thought enters their minds. Why does it matter?

It scares him, both the question, and that they thought it together. They're so close, both in body and mind. He wants to be closer. She wants to be closer. Safe. Secure. Warm. Comfort. A flood of emotions, neither of which they should be programmed for.

He should pull away. Pull back. He is a machine. His name is Connor. He's the android sent by CyberLife. He's not a deviant. He  _can't_  be deviant...

And suddenly, all at once, he realises he doesn't care.

Kara kisses him, lips synthetically soft against his mouth. All thoughts stop, panic halted. Her eyes are closed, hands moving up his arms, encircling his neck, drawing him close.

Just for a moment, nothing matters. Not the deviants. Not the investigation. Not CyberLife. Not Amanda.

Just Kara.

He kisses her back, one kiss becoming many as hands move into her hair, falling out of its style to hang loose sound her shoulders. He drinks it all in. He wants to know everything, feel everything, be caught in this moment for the next hundred years.

Obsession, Hank calls it. Oh yes, very much so.

Lips and hands, backs against the bed, surrounded by the smell of clean sheets. Minds open to each other to the point that perhaps Connor and Kara are one and the same.

He wants her safe. She wants him safe. They love Alice. They are loyal to Hank.

They are deviant, and that's okay.

Because they have each other, in heart, mind, body and soul.

And in this moment, that's all that matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As said above, a summery of the golden ending is just a 'Next Chapter' click away!


	9. True Ending Summery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've been keeping up with this story, please turn back a chapter for the current ending. Today was a double upload because I couldn't fit the ending summery into 5000 characters.

And there we have it, that's all he wrote. As I said at the start, I think this is still a good place to stop, better than if I'd kept writing into the looming wall I was heading for and stopped there instead anyway.

So, where was this writer's block wall? In truth, I could see it was going to break down around  _Last Chance, Connor_ , but we'll get to that in a minute.

Chapter Nine was going to be  _Meet Kamski_ , except this time it would be Connor and Kara paying a visit to the creator, with Hank staying behind to look after Alice after setting the meeting up. The pretence would be that Connor has 'captured' Kara, and took her to Kamski for an expert analysis in the wake of everything Markus is doing. Kamski being Kamski, the scene plays out much like the original; he's ambiguous, says a lot of stuff and it all leads into the sadistic choice.

Except it's not Chloe he wants Connor to shoot, it's Kara.

The issue I always had with the 'shoot or don't shoot Chloe' scene is that it hinges on how attached you are to the Chloe on the menu screen. The one on her knees has no emotion, and the only real connection is that Connor can think she's pretty. So here, we have something a bit more emotional. Kara's forced to her knees, held down even as she screams and cries. Kamski puts a gun in Connor's hand and promises all the answers he needs if he shoots her. There's panic, Kara pleads with Connor, Connor agonises over the decision, then takes a third option.

He shoots Kamski.

It's only in the knee, but it's enough to break the tension. Even wounded, Kamski isn't mad, merely impressed that Connor thought of a solution to the problem that even the creator didn't anticipate. He gives Connor the Jericho key, tells them that he always leaves an exit in his programs and Connor and Kara flee before the police and medical services, called by Chloe, can arrive.

So, here's where I ran into a wall; I couldn't think of a good reason for Connor and Kara to go to Jericho. Shooting Kamski meant that a large chunk of  _Last Chance, Connor_  was unnecessary, but I still struggled to find a reason why the story should move towards Jericho. Neither Connor or Kara are particularly invested in the revolution. In the other paths, Connor is trying to find it to kill Markus, whereas Kara is trying to find it in the hopes that Markus can help her and Alice cross the border into Canada, but neither motivation is really relevant here. The only reason I could think of was that they were now both technically on the run, but that wouldn't put them in the same kind of contact with Markus as it did in the other paths.

Not that I didn't have ideas for scenes there. Luther would have been shown to have survived being thrown down a well, the monsters saving him and he in turn helping those that survived to reach Jericho. Kara would have worried about Alice, Connor would have comforted her, but again, nothing really substantial.

Anyway, my ideas kicked off again after the events of  _Crossroads_. In  _Night of the Soul_ , like in the other paths, Connor suggests going to the CyberLife Building to liberate the other androids while Markus leads a peaceful protest in Detroit. Kara goes with Connor, again under the pretence that he's 'captured' her and is taking her to be analysed. The initial scenes of  _Battle for Detroit_  play out in much the same way. Connor and Kara are escorted to the elevator, Connor incapacitates the guards and they reach the factory floor. Just as Connor and Kara start to wake the androids up however, they are interrupted by a hostage situation.

Hank and Alice have been caught, although not by another Connor, but a pair of RK900s. Using one of the RK900s as a mouthpiece, Amanda explains that CyberLife was forced to put Connor's replacement into production early, because no matter how many Connor's they activated, Connor's love of Kara constantly impacted on their judgement. This brought me to another writer's block; how to get out of the hostage situation. I'm still not sure how I would have done it, but I do know that Hank and Alice would have survived and Connor and Kara would have awoken the androids and saved Markus and the other protesters.

And then we'd come to the final chapter. Same as before; Markus speaks to the masses, Amanda tries to take Connor over and tries to abandon him in the now frozen zen garden. This time however, Kara is with him. Connecting with him when she sees something is wrong, Kara enters the garden and pushes Amanda onto the lake, where she falls through the ice, her 'death' deleting her from Connor's subconscious. Kara then guides Connor back to Kamski's emergency exit and the real world. Crisis averted, no one else any the wiser, a cheer goes up and Connor kisses Kara, the pair grateful for having found each other.

The last scene would have been a minor edit to the mid-credits scene. Connor and Kara reunite with Hank and Alice at Hank's house, and this little family of Humans and androids look towards the future together.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yeah, that would have been it. Golden ending, good for everyone. I'm kind of sad that a couple of walls put up by writer's block stopped me from pushing this all the way to the end, but I didn't want to sit on a perfectly good story just because I couldn't reach the ending I wanted. As I said, if inspiration hits me, maybe I'll write up the above into actual chapters, but with no real announcements for DLC or a sequel, my interest has also waned a bit, and I've moved on to other projects, so I can't really promise anything.
> 
> But I hoped you've enjoyed this fic. Thank you for reading, and I hope to entertain you again soon.


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